EA Says Call of Duty Will Die in Two to Three Years

I admit that I'm not the biggest Call of Duty fan. That said, I have a lot of friends who really dig that series, and I understand why people play those games. They're solid military first-person shooters with great gameplay and stellar online features. Unfortunately, I'm going to hate to break it to my buddies that they'll only be playing Call of Duty for the next three years. Well, at least that's what EA wants us to believe.

EA CEO John Riccitello recently stated that he wanted to see Call of Duty "rot from the core." Ouch. Even someone like me who doesn't play Call of Duty and admittedly doesn't care about the series thinks that's insanely harsh. Activision Publishing head Eric Hirshberg addressed this comment, saying that remarks like that wouldn't help the gaming industry.

Industry Gamers got a hold of Jeff Brown of EA corporate communications, and it seems this individual is also taking it to Activision, Call of Duty, and especially Hirshberg. "Last year, Activision had a 90 share in the shooter category," said Brown. "This year, Battlefield 3 is going to take you down to 60 or 70. At this rate, you'll be out of the category in two to three years. If you don't believe me, try to go to the store and buy a copy of Guitar Hero or Tony Hawk."

Now, some people may see this as a d*ck move, while others will wholeheartedly agree. Is EA being a big jerk about this whole thing? Or is the company simply trying to keep attention centered on the whole Battlefield vs. Call of Duty thing that's all the buzz right now? Is this a good publicity move? Or is EA coming off as cocky and harsh, two words often used to describe Activision?

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David Sanchez
David Sanchez is the most honest man on the internet. You can trust him because he speaks in the third person.